Worldwide Sports News

The Washington Nationals are highly unlikely to make the playoffs in 2026. Paul Toboni knows that and so do Nationals fans. Even finishing above .500 feels like a pipe dream. However, that does not mean the Nats season is destined for failure. We are just going to have to look at things beyond the win/loss record. Here are some things that would make the Nats 2026 season a success.

Continued Growth of the Young Core of Position Players:

Despite the failure of the previous regime’s rebuild, the Nationals still have a group of promising young position players at the MLB level. The development of players like James Wood, Daylen Lile, Dylan Crews, Brady House and CJ Abrams will be crucial. If those players develop, this Nats season can be a success even if the team struggles to reach 75 games.

James Wood is the most important piece of this young core and his growth is paramount to the success of this team moving forward. In the first half, Wood looked like a potential MVP contender. He posted a .915 OPS with 24 homers. However, Wood really tailed off down the stretch due to out of control strikeout rates. 

Wood has so much natural talent and he has the ceiling of a 40 home run, 20 stolen base guy. He is the only player on this team with top 10 player in baseball upside. Hopefully, this new staff can help him make adjustments and help him stay locked in for a full season.

He is not the only young position player this staff will need to develop though. Dylan Crews and Brady House showed they have a long way to go with their MLB performances last year. The talent is still there for both, especially Crews. It is critical for the health of the rebuild that at least one of those guys takes a big step next year.

There is also new catcher Harry Ford. Toboni’s first big move as Nats POBO was to acquire him in exchange for Jose A. Ferrer. We know Ferrer has big upside and a lot of team control. That means the Nats are going to have to turn Ford into a quality starting catcher to make this trade a win.

Given his production and pedigree, Ford has a good chance of becoming that. However, this new coaching staff will need to help him, especially on the defensive side of the ball. If Ford becomes a starting catcher, this trade is an easy win for the Nats. Overall, the Nats have a lot of position players that could break out. For this season to be a success, a few of them need to take major steps in the right direction.

Find Breakout Stars on the Mound:

The Nationals pitching staff has very few name brands, especially after trading away MacKenzie Gore. Given the names on the roster, it would be tough to project the Nats pitching staff to be even average. I would expect some blowup outings this year. However, the season could still be a success if a few Nats arms really break out.

My breakout candidate on the staff is Cade Cavalli. He has tremendous stuff and finally has a full, healthy offseason. There are a lot of smart people that really like what Cavalli has to offer. His fastball is in the upper 90’s and he has a filthy curveball to go with it. Cavalli’s changeup also shows major promise as well.

New pitching coach Simon Mathews will have a lot to work with here. However, Cavalli is far from a finished product. He gets hit harder than a guy with his stuff should. That comes down to his command within the zone. Cavalli was throwing strikes, but too many pitches were in the middle of the plate.

Sequencing is one thing a lot of Nats pitchers could improve. Last season, Nats pitchers were throwing way too many fastballs. We saw what happened when Kyle Finnegan cut his fastball usage after his trade to the Tigers. I would expect the Nats fastball usage to come way down this season.

Too many Nats pitchers were throwing their average heaters far too often. This applies to the likes of Jake Irvin, Mitchell Parker and relievers such as Jackson Rutledge. I think all of these pitchers will be leaning more on their secondary stuff this year.

Speaking of relievers, Paul Toboni is betting on internal improvement and his ability to find hidden gems. There is no clear closer right now, though my prediction would be that Clayton Beeter gets the 9th inning. Given his love for the waiver wire, I could really see Toboni churning through bullpen arms until he finds the right combination.

Even when the Nats were good, Mike Rizzo struggled to build bullpens. I have more faith in Toboni to find the right mix in the ‘pen. The Red Sox had a really good bullpen last year despite not having many big names besides Aroldis Chapman. 

Whether it is Paxton Schultz, or Jackson Rutledge, or Cole Henry, I expect a couple of these under the radar bullpen arms to surprise us. I have no idea which ones will though. The pitching will likely struggle this year, but hopefully the Nats can find a few hidden gems in the rubble.

Development on the Farm:

While the MLB team will have the most eyeballs, some of the most important Nationals developments of 2026 will be taking place on the farm. Paul Toboni’s stated mission is to build a scouting and player development monster. A lot of that process will be taking place in the minors.

Toboni has already improved the Nats farm system with his trades, but that is only the first step of his process. He has placed a huge emphasis on improving players and building organizational depth. We will get a chance to see that in action on the farm.

Right now, the Nats farm is considered to be in the middle of the pack by most. However, I believe the Nats will have a top 10, if not top 5 farm by the end of the year. While some of that will be due to future trades and the draft, the main improvement will come from internal development.

The Nats have so many breakout candidates on the farm right now. It feels like at least a couple of them have to explode this year. There is finally a proper infrastructure around these talented players and a real focus on their development.

There may not be a ton of winning at the MLB level, but I think we will see a lot of wins on the farm. Paul Toboni is building this thing from the ground up. That means we will see success at the minor league levels before the MLB. While minor league records do not mean a ton, do not be surprised if these Nats farm teams win more games. It would be a good sign of improved depth in the system.

A lot of the Nats talent is at the lower levels right now. The Fred Nats in particular should be a lot of fun to watch. Following these guys from Low-A to the big leagues is very exciting. Hopefully, the guys we see on the Fred Nats right now are playing playoff games for the Nationals in 5 years.

What Does Success Look Like:

For 2026, winning a lot of games is not what will make the Nats season a success. Sure, it would be awesome if this team shocked the world and made the playoffs, but that is unlikely. There are also other ways to measure success for this team.

I get that it is tiring to have to measure success through development rather than wins, but that is the reality of the situation. The Nats are not built to win now. Hopefully this team can win more games than last year, but even if they win 65-70 games, the season can be successful if the right players take the right steps and the farm system is in a healthy position. The hope is that these moral victories will turn into actual victories in the future.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Padres fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

The addition of Miguel Andujar by the San Diego Padres and their general manager A.J. Preller earlier this week would not qualify as a significant addition to the roster, but it was the first major league addition to the lineup since the Padres signed Sung-Mun Song in December. It showed that Preller’s comments from Padres FanFest about adding a bat or two and adding starting pitching was not just lip service. The question is what is the next move, and will it be the significant move the Friar Faithful have been waiting for throughout the offseason?

Recent reports said San Diego made a late run at free agent starter Framber Valdez before he signed with the Detroit Tigers. More recently, the Padres were in the mix for free agent first baseman Paul Goldschmidt before he decided to re-sign with the New York Yankees. The reports are promising to an extent, whether the efforts by Preller and the Padres were authentic is a fair question considering the reported financial constraints.

Gaslamp Ballasked readers earlier this week if they expected Preller to make a significant move prior to the start of Spring Training and the fanbase was split. The numbers might have been different if the question was, “Will Preller and the Padres make a significant move prior to Opening Day?”

San Diego added Dylan Cease in a trade with the Chicago White Sox in 2024 as the Padres were leaving to face the Los Angeles Dodgers to open the season in the Seoul Series in South Korea. Preller added last season’s ace, Nick Pivetta, after the start of Spring Training with a creative deal that kept the cost of the right-hander down in 2025 but jumps to $19 million in 2026. Considering the contracts of Cease with the Toronto Blue Jays (seven years, $210 million), Ranger Suarez with the Boston Red Sox (five years, $130 million) and Valdez with the Tigers (three years, $115 million), the cost for Pivetta seems like a bargain, especially if he can replicate what he did in 2025.

There are free agents available who would be positive additions for the Padres. Zac Gallen, Lucas Giolito and Chris Bassitt are considered the top three pitchers available followed by future Hall of Famers Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander. The position player free agent market is not as robust as Rhys Hoskins, Michael Conforto and Marcell Ozuna lead the group. If Preller were to sign two pitchers and a bat from these players that would be significant. One player from each of these groups would solidify the roster, but the cost to pull off  either scenario could be too steep.

Preller could look to deal with a team like the Baltimore Orioles who have first baseman Ryan Mountcastle without a position after the team signed free agent first baseman Pete Alonso. The Boston Red Sox are in a similar position with first baseman Tristan Casas after Boston traded for St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras. The Red Sox also have a crowded outfield, and Preller has long been thought to covet Jarren Duran. Perhaps it is a trade with one of these teams or another that qualifies as the significant move to improve the Padres roster. The problem in this scenario is the San Diego farm system lacks depth and inventory and was recently ranked as the worst farm system in MLB.

Time is running out on Preller to make a “significant move” prior to Spring Training with pitchers and catchers set to report on Wednesday and the first full-squad workout set for Feb. 15. But at this point any move that improves the roster and gives the Padres a chance to make the postseason will be welcomed – no matter when it comes.  

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is a right-handed hitting first baseman who turns 27 in March. And, yeah, we really don’t need a ‘better know’ for him.

He signed a 14-year contract extension back in April of last year, worth half a billion dollars.

Seven seasons into his MLB career, he has a 25.9 bWAR, a .288/.366/.495 batting line and 183 home runs.

Vlad is moving up the Blue Jays leader boards:

• 7th in bWAR: 25.9 (Lloyd Moseby is 26.0) 3.0 WAR next year would put him in the top five.
• 8th in Batting Average: .288.
• 9th in On Base: .366.
• 8th in Slugging: .495.
• 8th in OPS: .861.
• 14th in Games Played: 975
• 10 in Runs Scored: 571.
• 8th in Hits: 1077.
• 7th in Home Runs: 183.
• 9th in RBI: 591
• 7th in Walks: 430

The Jays’ position player leader in bWAR is Jose Bautista at 38.4, so Vlad needs 12.5 more to get there. I’d imagine he’ll get there before that contract is up. The top pitcher in bWAR is Dave Stieb, at 56.9, which will take Vlad a little longer to top.

And he’s 153 back of Carlos Delgado in home runs. He should pass that with several years left on his contract.

Vlad had a much better second half (.314/376/.515) than first half (.277/.384/434) in his 2025 season. And then he had an all-world playoff run, hitting .397/.494/.795 with 8 home runs (8 home runs in 18 games, that would be 72 home runs in 162 games). That’s really turning it on when we needed him. I’d love him to carry that over to this season.

Beyond that, I’m glad that the talk about moving him to third has ended. He’s the guy you move other players around for; you don’t move him for anyone else.

I don’t see him as a Gold Glove first baseman, but he does make some sensational plays. Like this one:

Last year, Steamer figure Guerrero to play 150 games, hit 33 home runs, with a .297/.375/529 line. He ended up playing 156 games, with 23 home runs, and a .292/.381/.467 line, so Steamer was a fair bit high on homers, but the rest was pretty close.

This year Steamer thinks he’ll play 143 games (I think I’d take the over), with 32 home runs, a .299/.385/.532 line and a 4.8 fWAR.

Presumably, the Detroit Tigers 2026 roster is pretty well set at this point. It’s really hard to expect any more major moves after the addition of Framber Valdez, while that and Tarik Skubal’s victory in arbitration has likely maxxed out their payroll for the season.

Still, rosters always end up getting tweaked a little bit between now and Opening Day. It might take an injury, such as rumors of ongoing shoulder trouble with Reese Olson, to push the team to another major league signing, and even that probably isn’t enough after the Valdez addition. The Tigers are still pretty weak at the shortstop position, but there are no major league caliber shortstops available in free agency, and trading for one at this point is virtually impossible. In center field, there are plenty of questions about Parker Meadows, but for now Javier Báez, Matt Vierling, and eventually Max Clark are the likely internal solutions. Perhaps Trei Cruz or Wencell Pérez can help out there as well as required.

That doesn’t mean that building in a little more depth in out of the question, however.

There’s always some nagging detail we’d like to see addrsesed even on the small side of the scale. Is there a position or a role on the bench, or even at the Triple-A level that you’d like to see addressed with a minor signing or trade to help bulk up the depth chart and provide a little more competition in spring camp?

BCB reader Clark Addison sent me some more photos to sleuth, and said none were easy.

Well! I love a sleuthing challenge.

Today, we have a photo of actor Joe Mantegna, a big Cubs fan and creator of the play “Bleacher Bums.” He’s with Cubs manager Joe Maddon, which already dates it between 2015 and 2019.

The first clue is on the jersey Mantegna is wearing. The No. 18 likely means this was taken in 2018.

The next clue — and the most important one — is on the ribbon board you can see behind the two men.

Nick Pivetta is pitching against the Cubs. Only part of the Cubs pitcher’s name is visible, but it’s clearly Tyler Chatwood.

Pivetta was pitching for the Phillies in 2018. There was just one game he pitched against the Cubs in Wrigley Field that year, and indeed, the Cubs pitcher that day was Tyler Chatwood.

That game happened Thursday, June 7, 2018.

Anthony Rizzo homered to give the Cubs a 1-0 lead in the fourth. The Phillies tied it up off Chatwood in the top of the fifth, but in the bottom of the inning, the Cubs put three on the board. Tommy La Stella and Kris Bryant had RBI singles and Rizzo’s sac fly scored the third run of the inning.

The Phillies scored a pair off reliever Brian Duensing in the sixth, but Justin Wilson, Pedro Strop and Brandon Morrow shut them down the rest of the way and the Cubs won 4-3. They were 35-24 after this win and in second place in the NL Central, half a game behind the Brewers.

Fortunately, this game happened in a time when MLB was putting all games on YouTube after they went final, so here’s the entire game:

Obviously, Joe Mantegna was at Wrigley that day to throw out a ceremonial first pitch. There’s no video I’ve been able to find of this, but here’s a photo taken that day:

Lastly, if you look very closely at the fans in the bleachers in the photo at the top of this post, I’m in it. Back row, section of the bleachers closest to the foul pole.

The Yankees announced their non-roster spring training invitees on Thursday, a total of 27 players. This means 14 new pitchers will be reporting to camp: seven from within the organization and seven who signed some version of a minor-league contract for the 2026 campaign. Among the invitees are two of the organizations’s most notable pitching prospects and a few more players who found success last season and will look to keep the momentum alive.

The prospects headlining the list are the two pitchers by far the most likely to pitch in the Bronx at some point in the near future: Ben Hess and Carlos Lagrange. As a reminder, well-regarded young starter Elmer Rodríguez will be there as well, but’s already on the 40-man roster and doesn’t need an NRI.

Hess was the Yankees’ first-round draft pick in 2024, and rewarded their investment by posting much better numbers as a pro than he ever did at the University of Alabama. The 23-year-old has a lively fastball that sits in the mid-90s and a deep arsenal with two plus breaking balls and an effective changeup. He ended the season with Double-A Somerset, and while he’s likely to start the 2026 season there as well, Hess is a top candidate to earn a promotion to Triple-A sometime this year. If all goes right, he could even make his MLB debut à la 2025 Cam Schlittler — though the latter gained far more in-season helium last year.

Lagrange’s stock is in a similar place as Hess’s with both pitchers usually somewhere in the back end of Top 100 overall prospects lists, but his career journey to this point has looked a lot different. The 6-foot-7 Lagrange struggled severely with command issues prior to last season and walked 20 percent of the hitters he faced in Low-A and the Complex league in 2024. His 2025 campaign was a revelation, as much-improved control allowed his lethal fastball-slider combination to pop. He struck out 33.4 percent of the hitters he faced. The walks issue was more apparent in Double-A than it was in High-A and a few flare-ups caused his BB% and ERA to inflate, but when Lagrange was on his “A” game, he recorded several of the mostimpressivestarts at any level of the Yankees’ minor leagues. If the 22-year-old’s ability to reign in his electric stuff continues on its current path of linear development, he will be an incredibly exciting pitcher and should draw comparisons to the Brewers’ Jacob Misiorowski, who shares not only Lagrange’s frame but also many of his strengths and weaknesses.

Kyle Carr fits the mold of the crafty left-handed starter that found success around MLB in 2025; a pitcher who won’t blow hitters away with his fastball but has a deep enough arsenal to navigate starts effectively and efficiently. His numbers in the minor leagues jumped off the page. Carr posted a 1.96 ERA in 119.1 innings at High-A Hudson Valley despite a mediocre 11.9 K-BB%. He was older than most High-A hitters and will turn 24 in May, so Double-A will be a big test for him this upcoming season.

The Yankees drafted Brendan Beck out of Stanford in the second round of the 2021 MLB Draft, and the now-26-year old finds himself on the verge of a big-league debut after only being able to make 10 professional starts from the time he was drafted up through the end of 2024. Finally healthy last year, Beck spent 2025 between Double-A and Triple-A. Beck dominated Somerset with a 1.82 ERA in 54.1 innings, but hit a wall for the first time in his pro career in Scranton with a 4.44 ERA in 77 innings. It’s unlikely Beck plays a pivotal role at the big-league level in 2026, but his proximity could make him a viable trade candidate. If you’re watching the World Baseball Classic this year, you’ll also probably glimpse him on Team Great Britain alongside his brother, Tristan (of the Giants), and the Yankees’ Jazz Chisholm Jr.

Michael Arias spent four years in the Cubs organization between 2021-24 before signing a minor-league contract with the Yankees for 2025. Arias pitched just 29.2 innings last season, but did so across four levels and ended the season with Double-A Somerset (and was briefly on the 40-man roster). He turned 24 in Novmber. Although Arias records a lot of strikeouts, he struggles with his command to the point where it could derail him from ever reaching the big leagues.

Harrison Cohen is another high-strikeouts, high-walks type and is primarily deployed out of the bullpen. Cohen spent his 2025 between Double-A and Triple-A where he recorded an ERA of 2.01 and 1.57 respectively, and picked up five saves. He walked 14.4 percent of the hitters he faced last season, so that number will need to come down for him to be considered a legitimate bullpen option in the Bronx. The 26-year-old will also be on the Team Israel pitching staff in the World Baseball Classic.

A former Rule 5 pick by the Rangers who was returned after never pitching for Texas, Carson Coleman made his first professional appearance since 2022 last season, spreading his 17 innings out between Low-A, High-A, and Double-A. He posted a 1.59 ERA with a 23.8-percent strikeout rate and 3.2-percent walk rate, but the sample size is too small to get excited about. FanGraphs put a 70-grade on his fastball, however, so that pitch coupled with the pinpoint command he displayed in 2025 could put the 27-year-old on the radar this season with more opportunities.

Dylan Coleman has 93 innings of MLB experience under his belt, almost entirely with the Kansas City Royals. He appeared in 68 games in 2022 and was a reliable bullpen option for Kansas City with a 2.78 ERA. His performance fell off a cliff the following year, and he pitched just one inning in 2024 with the Houston Astros before missing out on MLB play last year entirely. A stint with the Orioles’ Triple-A team went awry, and after being released in May, he exclusively trained with Feole Pitching. The minor-league contract he signed with the Yankees in January represents a comeback opportunity for the 29-year-old’s career.

Alexander Cornielle spent three years with the Milwaukee Brewers’ High-A affiliate before earning a long-awaited promotion to Double-A where he spent most of 2025 before getting a cup of coffee with the Triple-A team to end the season. The 24-year-old will probably report to the Yankees’ counterpart in Scranton and remain there for most, if not all of the season unless Matt Blake and company have a trick up their sleeves with him.

Yovanny Cruz is another career minor-leaguer who spent 2017-23 with the Cubs organization with most of his time spent in the lower levels of professional baseball. He took a two-year hiatus in 2020 & 2021 due in part to COVID-19 and Tommy John surgery, and never pitched more than 30 innings in a season again until logging 59.1 innings in Double-A last year as part of the Red Sox organization. Command issues have plagued Cruz his entire career, and at 26 years old he’ll need to sort them out now in order to reach the next level.

Drake Fellows spent the past five years in the Pirates organization, and spent most of that time getting hit pretty hard. He pitched 112.1 innings in Triple-A last season with a 4.41 ERA, which was the lowest mark of his career since 2021 in the Complex league. It’s a step in the right direction, but for a guy who will turn 28 next month, he has many more steps still to take before popping up on the big-league radar.

Bradley Hanner is a bullpen arm who was with the Cleveland Guardians organization from 2023-25. He pitched well in Double-A during those first two seasons, but Triple-A proved to be a daunting challenge and he posted a 4.74 ERA at the level in 49.1 innings in 2025. Hanner struck out an impressive 29 percent of hitters, but the contact he did allow was loud and punishing. Entering his age-27 season, Hanner appears to be a minor leaguer for the foreseeable future.

The one MLB inning Adam Kloffenstein pitched in 2024 went smoothly and he got out unscathed, but 2025 was disastrous as he pitched 82 frames in Triple-A with the Toronto Blue Jays organization to the tune of a 6.26 ERA. Kloffenstein had a good year in 2023 at the Double-A and Triple-A levels, but his results since then have been a lot closer to the dud of a season he recorded last year. The 25-year-old will likely come out of the Triple-A bullpen in 2026.

Travis MacGregor spent most of 2023 and 2024 in Triple-A with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Los Angeles Angels organizations, but the Milwaukee Brewers and Texas Rangers chose to deploy him in Double-A instead in 2025. The Yankees will be his fifth team in three years, and he’s less likely to earn a spot in this big-league bullpen as he was with the rest. The 28-year old is not exactly expected to make his MLB debut in the immediate future.